Punt on pasta reaps rewards on a fortunate patch of dirt

Bumper harvest Angus Murchison in a paddock of durum wheat,
which earns twice as much as bread wheat. He says the Liverpool
Plains can be more productive in dry weather than other farming
areas.Photo: Paul Mathews

Philippa MurrayDecember 1, 2007

A SMALL wheatgrowing area on the Liverpool Plains, in the
north-west of NSW, is set to challenge devastating drought
predictions by producing a bumper crop.

And some farmers stand to reap more than $2 million each this
year, as prices for durum wheat, used to make pasta, have
skyrocketed.

The rich farming country, west of Quirindi, has proved to be a
trend-defying part of an otherwise gloomy wheat belt.

Angus Murchison, who runs a 3300-hectare family holding, took a
gamble by deciding to treble his planting of durum wheat, which
thrives only in north-western NSW and South Australia.

The farmer was almost halfway through harvesting his
high-yielding 1000-hectare crop late this week when thunderstorms
halted his harvesters.

While he waits for the weather to clear, Mr Murchison is
fielding calls from grain buyers willing to pay more than $600 a
tonne. Durum wheat is the subject of a bidding war between domestic
and international buyers and is worth double the price of bread
wheat.

By the Herald's calculation, the family has already
banked $1 million in silos.

Mr Murchison took advantage of rain in early June to plant his
largest-ever area of durum. After falls in mid-August, he waited
anxiously for almost two months during the critical growing period
before his rain gauge filled again. "We were concerned - we have
had six to seven years' hard going but I guess it comes down to
management decisions and the luck of the draw," he said.

The bumper harvest comes after the fourth-driest September on
record in NSW, with many wheat crops being cut for hay or grazed
out.

Mr Murchison does not attribute all his good fortune to timely
rain. He heads a small group of local farmers calling themselves
AgVance Farming, who combine to sell their wheat through AgVance
Marketing, and share experiences and technology in the quest to
capitalise on prevailing conditions.

"I guess you would call us a bunch of forward-thinking farmers,"
Mr Murchison said of their hard-headed approach to farming. "When
we go on bus tours to look at crops, it's definitely a
take-no-prisoners attitude."

He says his is a safe farming area. "Nine times out of 10, if we
sow something, we will always get our money back. I know there are
blokes out there in deep trouble. I know we are lucky to a certain
extent but we are in an area where, if we have dry conditions, we
do better than most."

Mr Murchison gives an emphatic "No" when asked if he is likely
to experience another harvest like this.

Bumper harvest &#133; Angus Murchison in a paddock of durum wheat,
which earns twice as much as bread wheat. He says the Liverpool
Plains can be more productive in dry weather than other farming
areas.

Bumper harvest &#133; Angus Murchison in a paddock of durum wheat,
which earns twice as much as bread wheat. He says the Liverpool
Plains can be more productive in dry weather than other farming
areas.

Bumper harvest &#133; Angus Murchison in a paddock of durum wheat,
which earns twice as much as bread wheat. He says the Liverpool
Plains can be more productive in dry weather than other farming
areas.

Bumper harvest &#133; Angus Murchison in a paddock of durum wheat,
which earns twice as much as bread wheat. He says the Liverpool
Plains can be more productive in dry weather than other farming
areas.